Kenyan court says NO to anal test for homosexual suspects

A Kenyan court has ruled against the forced anal examination of men suspected of being gay following a case filed by rights groups who describe the test as torture.

Thursday’s ruling ends the examination that was backed by law in a 2016 ruling which says it did not violate the privacy of individuals.

Human Rights Watch hailed the Court of Appeal’s ruling in a statement that described the “cruel, inhuman and humiliating” process.

It says medical personnel inserts “their fingers, and sometimes other objects, into the anus of the accused. In other cases, men are ordered to strip naked and bend over or lie down with their feet in stirrups while doctors ‘visually’ examine their anal regions”.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Cameroon, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Zambia subject men suspected of being gay to forced anal testing.

This article by Ismail Akwei was first published on face2faceafrica.com

Published by Ismail Akwei

Ismail Akwei is an international journalist, digital media and communications professional, editor, writer, arts, culture and tourism advocate, human rights activist, pan-Africanist, tech enthusiast and history buff. He has worked with multinational media companies across Africa and has over a decade’s experience in journalism.

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